How to Watch Epix Without Cable – Your Top 3 Options

Epix is a premium movie channel owned by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and it airs some of today’s top movies, as well as throwback hits. From indie darlings like Mother! to old-school blockbusters like Rollerball, Epix has a lot to offer cord-cutters.

If you’ve canceled cable and you’re wondering how you can still watch your favorite movies in Epix, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll discuss how to watch Epix without cable and give you the top options for viewing your favorite films without a sky-high cable bill. Let’s get started.

Watch Epix Without Cable – “Skinny Bundles” and the Rise of Internet TV

So, how can you watch Epix without cable? The best way is with what is called a “skinny bundle” internet TV service.

These services have become very popular as cable bills become more expensive, and more Americans start cutting the cord on cable. The high cost of cable has led to an unprecedented number of cancellations of pay TV. This quarter, every major cable company reported a net loss of subscribers.

Internet TV services like DirecTV Now were designed to help deal with the loss of cable subscribers. Cable and network TV companies can still get money for their content by selling their channels to these “skinny bundle” services, which allow consumers to stream a hand-picked selection of cable channels directly over the internet.

These services are sometimes called “skinny bundles” because they typically offer fewer channels than a traditional cable subscription, but at a much lower price.

Internet TV has some serious benefits for cord-cutters. First, no cable installation or setup is required. You can stream TV on any device on your home wireless network, using your internet connection.

These services also have no hidden costs. There are no contract cancellation fees or hidden fees with any popular internet TV services, and there are no long-term contracts. All major internet TV companies allow a month-to-month subscription.

These “skinny bundles” are also much cheaper than cable. Most of them cost between $35-$40, though you can pay more for an expanded selection of channels.

Now that you understand internet TV “skinny bundles”, let’s discuss which ones you can use to get EPIX.

Sling TV is the oldest “skinny bundle” internet TV subscription service. It has over 2.2 million subscribers, and was first launched in January 2015. Though it has quite a few channels available and a great set of customization options, its subscription plan can be somewhat confusing. Let’s dig into the details about Sling TV now.

Plans and channels

Sling TV has two basic channel plans. You can choose Sling Orange, which provides you with around 30 channels, for just $25/month. Alternatively, you can get Sling Blue for $25/month, which will get you around 45 channels. If you need a more comprehensive set of channels, you can also combine both Sling Blue + Orange for $40/month.

All Sling packages come with Epix Drive-In for no additional fee. You can also get some other great film-focused channels, such as Tribeca Shortlist and IFC. You can see the full channel lineup in our Sling TV review.

If that’s not enough for you, you can get even more Epix channels with the Epix Premium add-on. This add-on gives you access to EPIX, EPIX2, and EPIX Hits. You also get access to a total of about 2,000 on-demand films that you can watch at any time, which is a great bonus.

Other premium channels available for an additional fee on Sling TV include HBO, Showtime, STARZ, and Cinemax.

Features

Sling TV has a decent set of features, but some of them, such as the DVR, will cost you an additional fee.

You have to pay $5/month for a DVR with Sling TV, so that means your subscription cost will be $25/month for Orange, $30/month for Blue, and $45 for Orange + Blue. The DVR comes with 50 hours of storage, but due to licensing restrictions, it can’t be used on some Disney-owned channels like ESPN.

Also, Sling Orange only lets you stream on 1 device at a time. You won’t be able to share your subscription with anyone. Sling Blue is a better choice if you want to share your internet TV subscription with your family or friends, as you can stream on up to 3 devices simultaneously with Sling Blue.

The DVR comes with 50 total hours of storage, and it can’t be used to record some channels— such as ESPN and other Disney-owned channels—due to licensing agreements.

Sling TV does have a great user interface and plenty of platform support. You can use Sling TV on almost any device. If you’re on-the-go, you can watch on iOS and Android devices, as well as your laptop’s web browser. And at home, Sling TV supports platforms including Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, and more.

PlayStation Vue first launched in March 2015 and has had a hard time picking up new subscribers. Perhaps this is because of the name. (No, you don’t need a PlayStation to subscribe!)

However, PlayStation Vue does have a great set of features for families, and plenty of cable channel packages to choose from. Let’s take a deeper look now.

Plans and channels

PlayStation Vue gives you a total of 4 options for cable packages. They are as follows:

Access – 40+ channels, $45/month

Core – 60+ channels, $50/month

Elite – 100+ channels, $80/month

Ultra – All Elite channels plus HBO/Showtime, $75/month

With all of these packages, you can get Epix Hits, although you may need to purchase it as a separate add-on. To get Epix Hits, you need to purchase an Access or Core plan, and choose the Epix add-on for $4/month (discounted to $3/month if you have a PlayStation Plus membership).

However, you can also choose to just subscribe to the “Elite” or “Ultra” plans. “Elite” comes with a total of 84 channels, and it includes Epix Hits. Ultra gives you Epix Hits as well as HBO and Showtime, for $75/month.

Unlike with Sling TV, you can’t get Epix, Epix2, or Epix Drive-In with PlayStation Vue. If you wanted the full lineup of Epix channels, you’re out of luck, and would be better off with Sling TV.

Features

Not sure if you want to pick PlayStation Vue because it doesn’t have every Epix channel? The great features available on the service may change your mind.

PlayStation Vue is an ideal cable alternative if you have a large family or circle of friends because of two reasons. First, you can stream on up to 5 different devices at once. This is more than the 3 devices offered by Sling Blue, or the 4 devices offered by Sling Blue + Orange on some channels.

You also get a much better DVR at no extra charge. While Sling TV charges $5/month for a 50-hour DVR, PlayStation Vue gives you unlimited recordings of up to 500 different shows for 28 days. You won’t have to worry about running out of DVR space, even with a multiple people sharing the account.

Device support for PlayStation Vue is also really good. You can stream your content on web browsers, Android and iOS, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and the PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles, so you have plenty of options.

If you want to try the service, you can get a free 5-day trial at the Playstation Vue website.

Epix Website and Apps

You can stream Epix content on the Epix website, as long as you have a supported cable provider.

Unfortunately, unlike many other cable websites, you can’t access Epix unless you still have cable. Logins from internet TV services like PlayStation Vue and Sling TV don’t work.

However, this may change in the near future. Epix is doing some big things, and recently they announced that they would be releasing a standalone video streaming service sometime in the future. At this time of writing, the standalone option is still unavaiable.

Currently, it’s unknown how much the service will cost, or what kind of benefits it will offer. However, it’s likely that Epix will follow the model set by HBO Go, and offer standalone live streaming packages for a reasonable monthly fee, as well VOD support.

If you’re interested in watching Epix without cable, but don’t want to subscribe to a “skinny bundle” internet TV service, it may be a good idea to keep an eye on any future developments of this standalone streaming service. For now, though, you’ll have to choose between PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and a cable subscription to Epix.

Epix Channels

Wondering what the difference is between each Epix channel, and about the type of content aired on each Epix affiliate? Let’s break down the differences between these 4 channels now.

Epix – Epix is the flagship channel of this network, first launched in 2009. This channel airs blockbuster films, as well as comedy and music specials, and Epix Original shows.

Epix2 – First launched on May 12, 2010, Epix2 offers much of the same content as the main Epix channel, as well as repeat showings of the original documentaries and TV shows aired on the primary channel.

Epix Hits – Epix Hits, also sometimes called Epix 3, first launched in January, 2012. It also features many movies and first-run films, as well as original specials, documentaries, and Epix Original shows.

Epix Drive-In – Epix Drive-In features a diverse set of films, from sci-fi, to horror, fantasy, comedy, action, and more—spanning the decades from the 1970s until today. Its unique mix of content has made it a top pick for cord-cutters.

What’s On Epix?

Not sure if you need Epix, or wondering what kind of content you can find across these 4 distinct Epix channels? Here’s the inside scoop of what’s on Epix!

The latest blockbusters – As of writing, Epix has quite a few of the latest and greatest blockbusters and other highly-regarded movies. Baywatch, Power Rangers, and Transformers: The Last Knight are all shown regularly on the service, and most of these films are available on-demand. Other films include Star Trek, Creed, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and hundreds of others.

Cinema classics – While much of Epix’s programming focuses on newer films, there is a good stock of cinema classics as well, including F/X, Mystic Pizza, Spaceballs, Friday the 13th, and Red Dawn. Other cult classics include The Warriors, Earth Girls Are Easy, and Manhunter.

Epix Originals – Epix has a large variety of original programming, such as the action series Get Shorty, inspired by the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, Berlin Station, a modern spy series, and Graves, starring Nick Nolte as an ex-president seeking to reclaim his legacy by addressing a variety of social issues.

Original documentaries – Epix also has a variety of original documentaries that air regularly, like America Divided, which examines the fallout of the 2016 United States presidential election, and how it has affected politics in America.Other feature-length documentaries include Serena, which follows the life and athleticism of tennis pro Serena Williams, Deep Web, which explores criminal activity on the internet, and Doped: The Dirty Side Of Sports, which is about doping in sports, and the ineffectiveness of modern anti-doping policies.

Epix is also dedicated to becoming one of the first companies with full support for 4K. While most cable companies and channels are lagging behind, Epix plans on adopting 4K support sometime later this year.

Users will be able to stream originals like Get Shorty in 4K, as well as some films, like the James Bond flick Die Another Day, and summer blockbuster Transformers: The Last Knight on select devices that support 4K.

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